This invention relates to a badge holder and a method for making the badge holder, more specifically to a laminated plastic badge holder having a pin on the back for pinning the badge to the wearer and to a method for making same.
Reusable or disposable pin-back badges are well-known to the art. Badges are a convenient way of displaying the wearer's name, a company name or the like. The badges are particularly popular with attendees at conferences, conventions or educational programs. It is desirable to make a badge from a thin, flexible plastic material preferably clear so as not to distort the optics, into which a printed paper or cardboard message or name card can be inserted. The plastic badge should have an attachment means on the back for attaching the badge to the wearer, for example, a pin, not unlike a safety pin, that can be attached to the wearer's clothing.
There are many types of badges known to the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,341,083 to DeSwart shows a badge mounting. In this particular instance the pin is fixed into a boss while the other end extends and is held into a projecting socket member. The patent to Stoffel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,626 shows a medallion having a pin on the back that is held by a block or boss at one end and apparently locks into position at an opposite boss. U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,747 to Schimmel illustrates a badge and a method of making the same wherein the badge is held by means of a stick pin in the usual fashion. The pin is pivotably mounted to its support capable of being fixed at its rotary latch.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,773 to Kessler, illustrates another form of pin attachment for a plastic badge and the method of making the same. It appears that the back of the badge includes a pair of upstanding ridges into which the pin is compressed and then some form of heat means is used to slightly melt the plastic ridges to hold the pin in place. U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,910 to Farb discloses an anchoring method comprising a badge having a pin secured to the badge by means of anchoring the pin to the backside of the base of the badge. U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,570 to Carmen, discloses an identification card holder. In this particular invention, a safety pin is secured by various methods such as striking it through openings.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,004 to Malloney illustrates a badge holder with a pin back formed from folded polymer sheet to which the pin is attached by a bead of curable adhesive.